The Beadle Calls on Her Overnight
by lyra.lestranger
Summary: Mrs. Lovett gets a lovely surprise visit from the Beadle, and is in need of a rescuer! Slight Sweenett. Rated for mature themes


**Well I guess the title is self-explanitory, so please R&R!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not make any money of of this, and I do not own any of the characters**

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**The Beadle Calls on Her Overnight**

Mrs. Lovett shut the cupboard doors swiftly, soon after realizing that the broom wasn't in there either. She placed her hands on her hips and scowled. This was definitely not the first time she had lost the old broom, which she so desperately needed at the moment to clean up some spilled flour.

"Toooooby!" She called. For sure the boy would know where she last put it. "Toby, darling, do you remember where that dreadful chestnut coloured broom went? You know; the one I was using only yesterday on the outside walk?"

"No, sorry mum, I can't seem to remember where it got to, but what do you need it for? I'll help you look for it as well" he said eagerly.

Oh bless him, she thought. "You needn't worry, Toby" She said in reply, while rumpling his sandy hair with her hand. "You just run along now and go wash up for supper…it's nearly ready" She would just leave her mess of spilt flour till later to clean up.

About fifteen minutes after this, when all was in place for dinner, Mrs. Lovett turned to Toby and asked him if he had seen Mr. Todd at all today.

"I saw him last at about mid day…he said he was going out for the rest of the afternoon"

"Did he say if he was to be home for supper?"

"He said naught about it"

"Dear me, now I don't know if he's expecting something when he gets home…better be on the safe side and leave him some cabbage rolls" She said to herself with a sigh.

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Mrs. Lovett was alone in the kitchens that night, doing the laundry in a washtub she had brought up from the storehouse into the kitchens. She was not allowing herself to go to bed until Mr. Todd was back home safe and sound, so she was now occupying herself with numerous household chores that _needed_ to be done. And anyways, she couldn't fall asleep unless she heard the familiar lullaby of his gentle pacing steps along the barber shop floor all night long. Toby was long in bed now, she hoped he was sleeping, the dear boy would always insist on staying up with her and helping do the laundry and such, but she always persisted that he get his sleep, since he was a growing man.

She was just in the process of scrubbing out a particularly difficult stain in one of Mr. Todd's white flannel shirts, when the door to the meat shop burst open and the figure of a short, pudgy man trudged into the parlor. He was drenched in rain, and was wearing a long, tapering black trench coat that was now dripping muddy water all over her freshly scrubbed parlor floor.

Mrs. Lovett gasped and almost dropped her scrub brush into the crimson water filled basin in a state of alarm.

"Mr. Todd, you gave me such a fright, coming home all the sudden –" But she stopped her mini lecture mid sentence as she walked out of the kitchens and into the parlour to see that the man she was talking to was not Mr. Todd.

"Widow Lovett, a pleasure" the stranger started to say in a sharp, cold, almost sly voice. She then recognized who the late night intruder was; Beadle Banford. "I was hoping to find you here…unaccompanied" He finished with a large grin on his small, rat like face.

Mrs. Lovett pushed an auburn curl out of her eyes with her soapy, scarlet stained hands and quickly retorted to the pity of a man "And to what do I owe the pleasure, Beadle?"

He was moving closer to her, and Mrs. Lovett found herself slowly moving back towards the kitchens, her arms grabbing onto the counter to stop herself from moving further.

"And w.._what_ seems to be the problem, sir?" Mrs. Lovett repeated bravely, trying to her the slight quiver in her voice.

The Beadle chuckled as he closed in on her and she was forced to back into the kitchen doorframe. "I'm not here for a pie if that's what you had in mind, miss" he said, his disgusting grin inches away from her face. He moved his arm so that she had nowhere to go but under it and into the kitchens.

Her eyes darted towards the wash tub, which was now displaying the ruby filled effects of Mr. Todd's last victim in it rather openly.

She quickly moved her body so she was standing in front of the tub, flaunting her cleavage, hopefully the Beadle's eyes would stay on her bosom, like they usually rested, and would not averting to the washtub.

She could see her plan was already in action. "Actually, miss, I was here on orders to check up on your erm… facilities, to see if they was umm clean and all…you know… people are complaining about an unearthly stench coming from your chimney, madam, and thick, black smoke as well for that matter" babbled the Beadle, twiddling his chubby thumbs, his eyes right on target.

"Oh well is that right? Well I don't know who you spend your time with Beadle, but I'm sure they must not be the most intelligent of persons, because I have no idea what you are talking about, and no one has approached me about it before" She said firmly.

"Well I'm pretty sure that's my job isn't it now?" He said

"May I ask who is doin all this complaining, sir?" She tried to ask innocently

"I would have to say it's mostly that beggar woman, the one who collects the alms on Sundays on Fleet Street, but there are others as well, I can assure you" Said the Beadle eagerly.

Mrs. Lovett made a mental note to personally get rid of that beggar woman properly in the near future.

"But now to get to business, madam, I think a thorough _inspection_ of your _facilities_ can be arranged" He eyed her keenly.

"Perhaps another day, I'm actually quite busy, with the housework and all, and isn't it getting a little late out sir?" She said while raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I needed to speak to you alone, miss, only you, that's why I'm here, actually, it's about that Mr. Todd chap, he is a depressingly odd one is he not, Mrs. Lovett?" The Beadle was slowly getting closer and closer to her "And the two of you are seen together a lot lately, so I'm just wondering if I can ask you a few _questions_ regarding the barber"

"I don't think we need to be discussing the matter, Beadle" said Mrs. Lovett curtly. "I think you've done enough probing as it is sir" And she turned her face away from him

"Well that's why I'm here _now_, actually" He said hungrily. His hands were reaching for her now. Mrs. Lovett, in a panic, raised her hands over her face, closed her eyes, and braced herself for the worst, when she just realized her mistake.

"Ahh, Madam, what is that on your hands?" He grabbed her wrists forcefully with his large calloused ones and pulled her closer. "Is this – "

"I..it's not what you think" She had to redeem herself somehow. She tried pulling away from him, but his grip was too firm on her to wrists to move.

"Tut tut Mrs. Lovett, what _have_ you been up to?" he mocked at her. His large mouth moving closer to hers, his gross smoldering breath hot against her face. She turned away from him frantically, but to no avail. He grabbed her chin with his free hand and forced her to look him in the eye.

"No, please!" She was begging to plead "No, Sir, I can explain" He could _not_ see the washtub, he just _couldn't!_

"This looks like blood to me, Mrs. Lovett, Maybe there _should_ be some explaining here on your part" He said with that evil, twisted grin. "If you should flounder, perhaps I can intervene…" He pushed his body into hers and started to push his lips into hers, quite violently.

Just when Mrs. Lovett started to scream and squirm, she heard a booming voice growl "She's NOT Lucy!"

The Beadle stopped dead in his tracks and released his grip on her wrists. Mrs. Lovett didn't even look up, but collapsed onto the floor in a slump against the counter.

"Stay away from this place" said the brooding voice Mrs. Lovett now recognized as her Mr. Todd "And do not return…ever again"

"Y…yes, o..of course sir, as you wish" Stammered the Beadle. And his footsteps could be heard frantically scampering across the hardwood floor, and the door slamming as he exited the shop.

Mrs. Lovett dared look up at her rescuer. It was indeed Mr. Todd, and when she saw his face, she burst out in tears. She couldn't contain herself, tonight had been the most frightening night of her life, and she had to let it all out.

He just looked down at her, with almost some pity in his eyes. Mrs. Lovett wanted to embrace him, thank him properly, but he just turned on his heal and walked toward the stairwell that led to his barbershop.

"Mr. Todd" said Mrs. Lovett to him "Wait!"

Mr. Todd stopped, but still faced the stairwell.

She got up from the floor and started to walk towards him, but stopped herself. He wouldn't respond to her acts at all, and she knew it.

"Thank you, for…for rescuing me" She finally said

And she thought she heard a faint sniff from the stiff, cold man who came to her rescue that fateful night as he responded "See to it that you fix your lip, it's dripping rubies"

Mrs. Lovett put a finger to her lips and saw that what he said was true. She went over to the bathroom to get a towel to put against it, and to get some water to wash the taste of blood out of her mouth.

And as Sweeney Todd continued on his way up the stairs and into his barbershop, and as the door to the stairwell closed behind him, Mrs. Lovett noticed in the reflection on the bathroom mirror, the chestnut coloured broom propped up against the wall, now unconcealed by the door, just where she left it yesterday.

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**Please review!! this is GREATLY appreciated!**


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